Doctors told three-year-old Domenico Bacon's parents there was little chance of him surviving after he was horrifically crushed beneath a falling tree.

The couple were warned that, even if their tot did pull through, he would probably be brain damaged and unable to walk again.

Now, two years after the terrible accident that smashed his skull and broke both his legs, Domenico is not only alive - but strides out unaided with little sign of his awful ordeal.

His miraculous recovery is down to the skill of surgeons and his own incredible determination.

Mum Sarah, 32, watched Domenico, now five, playing in the garden and revealed: "The specialists said they had never seen such horrific skull injuries.

"But he pulled through against all the odds and for him to start walking again is remarkable. He is such a fighter. He seemed determined to prove the doctors wrong. We are incredibly proud of him."

A family friend had just collected Domenico from the nursery near his home in January 2007 when a 40ft lime tree crashed down on them in high winds.

Pressure

The friend escaped injury but the little lad was trapped under the full weight of the trunk and branches.

Mum-of-three Sarah, of Salisbury, Wilts, said: "Luckily there was a doctors' surgery opposite the nursery and a receptionist looking out of the window saw the accident.

"One of the doctors and a nurse rushed over and gave Domenico instant treatment, which helped save his life."

Passers-by and ambulance crew pulled the tree off the tot, who was rushed to Salisbury District Hospital and put on a life-support machine.

The nursery phoned Sarah's builder husband Richard, 34, who contacted her to say there had been an accident.

"I imagined it was a little spindly apple tree involved," she said. "I had no idea how bad Domenico's injuries were until I arrived at the hospital - then the doctors told us his life was hanging in the balance.

"The consultant said he had never seen anything as badly fractured as his skull. It was just surreal - it didn't sink in that our little boy was fighting for his life."

Domenico was transferred to Southampton General Hospital for an incredibly tricky operation to relieve the mounting pressure on his brain. There was a huge risk that part of his fractured skull could sever a main artery.

Sarah said: "They didn't think it was going to work but they had no other choice if they were to try to save his life."

The surgery was a success but Domenico was unconscious for nearly two weeks.

His parents didn't know if he would be brain damaged or paralysed - or even if he would come round.

Sarah said: "We knew there was a high likelihood of problems. It was awful not knowing.

"Then he gave me a little squeeze with his hand and that was a huge relief because then I knew he wasn't completely paralysed. And over the next few weeks he started to regain his speech." Brave Domenico spent two months in hospital gradually recovering.

He was finally allowed home but the plunging tree had hit the precise part of Domenico's brain which controls the central nerve running to both legs.

He had no feeling in his legs and needed a wheelchair. Doctors told Sarah and Richard that their son might never walk again - but they had not taken into account the boy's will and determination.

Domenico had three operations on his legs. The first two were on areas of tissue controlling growth. He then had sugery on his tendons to improve mobility.

Domenico also spent hours on special equipment to get used to using his legs again. Sarah said: "He was just amazing. He wasn't going to give up. Little by little he got better. By the end of the summer he was taking a few steps with a special walking frame."

Then last month Domenico's overjoyed parents watched as he took his first steps without help.

His mum said: "It was such an emotional moment. I took him back to the hospital and he walked into the ward in front of the doctors who had cared for him and they couldn't believe it.

School

"There is no real medical explanation for the miracle. Doctors feared he would not even survive after being hit by the tree let alone start walking again."

Domenico's brain has "re-routed" itself so the damage that the accident caused to some areas of it has had minimum effect. His speech is normal and he is in the top stream at school.

Domenico, who has brothers Tyler, ten, and Georgio, four, said: "It's lovely to be able to walk with my friends again and be out of my wheelchair."

His head teacher has presented him with a special bravery award.

Sarah said: "Now he's walking again we just can't stop him. I want his example to give hope to other mums who may be in a similar situation."

Professor Nick Clarke, the consultant orthopaedic surgeon who operated on Domenico, said: "He had very severe injuries and has done amazingly well - children can sometimes surprise us like this.

"He will be under our care until he stops growing and may have to have another operation."